. and so what i like shoe shopping? i do it at redline while pulling g's and no engine go boom . my (3rd) motor was burning 1 quart a day at 80k. my first fsde ate vtcs screws at 30k. my second motor spun a bearing. all with an intake and an axle back, and towards the last 15k or so of the 3rd it had a header. redlined it now and then, nothing crazy. nothing i didnt do with my 1st gen protege or my current miata, neither of which complain. i finally got sick of dealing with the motor being a maintenance item. some people get factory freaks that last appropriate amounts of time. that is the exception not the rule. check the responses. of ~10 people to respond there are people that have changed oil change intervals, replaced their motors and done rebuilds. there is a reason i traded in my BEAUTIFUL very modded car with tons of my time, heart, energy and money in for less than what the coilovers were worth. i was done and sick. and the reason i still follow this thread is because i had, modded and raced a protege for over 5 years. i know some of the problems and i check to see if someone has an issue i can help with. if i happen to poke a little fun now and then, its because i can. i've been there, done that, have 2 protege 5 tshirts that i still rock, and i still have a soft spot for the car
